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Noiros
For the majority of history, the Noiros have been an incredibly cryptic people, finding little reason to include themselves into the affairs of the other races, and for the most part, they too, were left to their devices, for the realm they tread was a place little knew much about. Created by the Rau'n of Darkness, Viinu, these people are curators of the realm of the Unknown, a dimension of darkness that encompasses much of the world. Due to the ability to see that which cannot be seen, they are often sought after as guides, rangers and private guards or by treasure hunters seeking hidden wonders. Physiology The most prominent feature of the Noiros are their extensive use of masks. Often elaborate and carefully crafted, they may conceal everything from the eyes to the entire face and are most commonly avian or humanoid in appearance. The masks serve little purpose other than to hide their eyes from view, as such, the holes that would otherwise be there are covered with a thin film of black silk. Not many can claim to have seen a Noiros unmasked, but from what a stranger might discern is the unusual pigment of their skin, which takes on an opalescent hue. In addition, there are swirls of iridescent, indigo pigment that appears etched into their skin, like an elegant design. Their hair color may range anywhere from incredibly deep, almost black indigo, emerald or cerulean, and even burgundy, although the latter is rare. Often tall, they are moderately long legged and sport claws on every digit of their hands. Their physique is normally tied to their agility; wiry but deceptively strong. Foreigners ignorant of Noiros often mistake them for Unshaped or Shedim. Dark Vision A Noiros' eyes are an intriguing subject to researchers, although, due to it being a severe crime to expose their eyes to a non-Noiros, rarely will one willingly commit such an act. Should an event occur in which a foreigner catches a glimpse of their eyes, however, the recipient's mind would essentially be incapable of registering the irises, as it is quite literally, a window into the realm they are not meant to see. In effect, the viewer would find his mind "rebooting", and they would fall into a temporary hallucination followed by a lapse in consciousness, lasting several minutes at most. After a short duration, the viewer would recover full functionality, but would be unable to recall what they've witnessed. Ages Noiros enter certain stages in their lifetime, marked by physiological changes: *The Aspirant '''stage begins at puberty, which is around 50 years of age. Noiros at this stage of their life are driven by a profound sense of curiosity and a desire to learn. Most will be drawn to new cultures and combat styles especially. The majority of the Noiros seen in other nations come from this stage. *The '''Erudite '''stage begins at 100 though it may be triggered earlier when the Aspirant has chosen their desired profession in life. It is at this stage that Noiros begin to learn the intricacies of their darkness craft. *The '''Catalyst '''stage begins at around 200 years of age and is marked by a sudden desire to sire children. Most Noiros return to their homelands to partake in the Melding ritual. A Catalysts time is spent primarily rearing their children and teaching them the fundamentals of the Unknown realm and their societal codes. *The Consular''' stage begins at around 250 years and continues until death. Noiros at this stage are wise and incredibly talented fighters. They are vigils and night warriors, councilors and sages. Not uncommonly, Consulars are often sent abroad to deal in the matter of interracial affairs. Noiros can live for nearly 450 years, though their lives can be cut brutally short by the actions of their Asrai cousins. Upon death, their bodies turn to a black mist and their souls return to Viinu where they will enter a new cycle. Reproduction A Noiros and Asrai's courting rituals are said to be like an orchestra of colors painted across a canvassed sky. When an eclipse occurs, both races in the Catalyst stage of their lives choose to return to their homelands and consequently disperse themselves into pure darkness and light and ascend upwards, toward the heavens. This is often called the Melding, for the process of darting across the night sky in ethereal form results in the phenomena known to humans as the auroras. The eclipse is the only time when the planes of light and dark collide, and it is here where Noiros and Asrai find their life mates among their own kind. When one has chosen the other, they will disembark from the sky and return to a corporeal form, where the two Asrai and two Noiros will eventually consummate their love. A female Noiros' term will last for 18 months. At the end she will have given birth to twins, one boy and one girl. Together with her life mate, they may have two sets of twins during the Catalyst stage and will raise them until they reach the age of 50 years. Males are the only ones capable of interbreeding with human females, as a female Noiros requires a male of her own kind to activate her biological system. Children of such unions are rare but will lack the opalescent hue of their sire's skin and instead retain the hair colors, the claws and the Dark Vision. They will not be able to manipulate darkness nor enter the realm of the Unknown, and they will be severed from the symbiosis. Symbiosis Facts *The symbiosis does not form until the child has developed enough to the point that it has acquired a soul in the womb. The soul of a Noiros and an Asrai is figuratively plucked from the realm of their gods where they have awaited reincarnation. Essentially, their essence is the substance which makes up both the darkness and the light. *Should a Noiros mother lose the children she is carrying to term, so too shall the Asrai mother carrying the other halves. *The children in the womb will speed up development if their symbiotes are progressively ahead. They will always share the same birth date. * A male will always be linked to a female and vice versa. *The nature of the symbiosis between the Asrai and the Noiros is potentially a harrowing one. They do not share each other's pleasures or joys, only the pain. Should an Asrai acquire a wound on his shoulder, the Noiros will acquire one inexplicably on her shoulder as well. Though neither a Noiros nor an Asrai will react with anything but nonchalance over the appearance of minor wounds, simply because it is so commonplace and expected that any attention directed to it would be unnecessary. *Over long distances the Asrai or Noiros will not be able to sense where their symbiote is. But should they be in relatively close proximity, they can pick out who they are in a crowd. Regardless of this, it is rare that symbiotes meet. *The natural skin markings on a Noiros or an Asrai will mirror the designs on their symbiote. *Due to the symbiosis, the two races are and always have been in a tentative truce with each other, despite their radical political differences. To murder one or the other is the greatest crime in both societal views. Special Abilities Noiros are racially capable of dispersing themselves when in close proximity to pure darkness, that is to say, they cannot manipulate shadows, nor can they utilize shadows for personal gain. It is a corruption, and an entity Noiros do not condone. The act of dispersion involves the caster dematerializing himself into a black mist, and becoming absorbed within the darkness. When this is achieved, the Noiros ends up in the Unknown Realm, where they may temporarily reside. Eventually, when they return to the mortal world, it may appear as if they'd teleported from their original location, but in fact, the Noiros merely traveled in a seperate demension for a short period of time. Dispersion is not possible when exposed to direct sunlight. The Noiros require pure darkness, which is brought on only by the veil of night or places where darkness resides deep beneath the world, such as caves and caverns. Psychology Humans often have the misconception that Noiros are a mischevious race due to the nature of who and what they are, but such thoughts could be further from the truth. Although well-versed in the art of acrobatics and close-ranged weapon combat, they will not be reckless for the sake of being reckless. On the contrary, these people are prone to calculate their actions ahead of time, contemplating the various outcomes of a situation. This is mostly due to their keen awareness of their dependency on and their responsibility for their light cousins the Asrai. If at all possible, a Noiros will search for a peaceful solution to a conflict, but at the same time, if their life is threatened, they will brutally retaliate. That is not to say that audacious Noiros do not exist, they do, but it is not the norm and they will still be governed and inluenced heavily by the laws of their people. No Noiros would ever dare consider breaking the codes established by their society, as it is what keeps them from falling into extinction. Society The Noiros take great pride in the respect of each other and the preservation of their people. Their social structure revolves heavily on the individual stages a Noiros goes through, which governs their status and their place in society. Crime is nearly non-existent, but those who do commit a crime will be sentenced to seclusion for an established amount of time. Noiros will never kill their own, thus severe punishment is dealt with confinement for the rest of the perpetrator's life. Children are taught by both their sires and the other Catalysts who have taken it upon themselves to teach the fledglings all there is to know about the world and their place within it. When a fledgling reaches the age of 30 years, they participate in the tradition of crafting their first mask, which for the Noiros, signifies their deep connection with Viinu and their spiritual homeland in the realm of the Unknown. When they become older, Aspirants are encouraged to travel into the lands of other nations, and to return with innovative, intriguing or valuable knowledge. In turn, when these Aspirants become Erudite they will offer fledgelings the option of teaching them individual crafts, or guide them into a profession of their liking. The most revered Noiros are those belonging to the Nocturne, renowned legionnaires who excel in the art of agility and dark spellcraft. They are Viinu's eyes in the night, silent walkers who are said to slay their enemies without having been seen even by the victim themselves. Laws of the Noiros The Noiros are governed by a code of laws that compell them to obey. *Viinu is the dark mother, honor her, for she gave us a form to our essence. *To harm a fellow Noiros is a crime punishable by confinement. To murder one will result in eternal confinement. *The Unknown Realm is our haven. Protect it as if it were your child, for this is where we are born, and to where we return when we die. *The Herald is the voice of Viinu. She is respected above all and her word is law. *Aspirants are expected to abide by all rules of the nations they are in. Should they be found to be an endangerment to themselves they will be fetched by a Consular and returned to the city. *To expose one's eyes to a non-Noiros is not allowed. History They're related to charlie the unicorn. The Unknown Realm Further explanation of what this is. (Aka, figure out how to describe it.) Category:Races